Sunset Over Luscombe Field

A picturesque scene of a beautiful sunset, and a digger can be forgiven if it feels like a world away from war. But only for a moment, as he begins the approaching night commencing with "Stand-To" where all weapon pits are manned and the soldiers are ready for a possible enemy attack. This routine occurs every morning at first light and every evening at last light.
After Stand-Down the night begins with the manning of all command bunker radios, and a night sentry roster operates where all the M60 machine guns are manned throughout the night with each infantry section soldier required to do at least one hour's sentry duty. The reality was that many sections were never at full strength, and the digger was often required to do two, sometimes three hour sentry duty. No 5RAR soldier had an uninterrupted night's sleep for his year's deployment except on one week's leave on R&R or a few days on R&C. Sleep deprivation was a real problem for the infantry soldier.
The Nui Dinh Hills are in the background. These hills have been a VC stronghold since the end of WW2. First the Viet Minh against French occupation, then the Viet Cong and were the cause of a number of Australian casualties.